📖 Meaning
Describes swiftness and overwhelming force, moving as fast as the wind and striking as suddenly as lightning. It conveys unstoppable momentum and decisiveness, typically used of a military advance or a swift, powerful campaign.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Biography of Yang Liang in the Book of Sui (《隋书·扬谅传》), during the Sui dynasty. In the passage, a general named Wen'an requests to lead the vanguard, with the prince following behind with the main army, so that 'moving like the wind and striking like lightning, they camp at Bashang, and everything east of Xianyang can be pacified by pointing and commanding.' The phrase vividly captures the ideal of a lightning-fast military advance that overwhelms the enemy before they can respond. It was later reused, for instance, in the Old Book of Tang (《旧唐书·李密传》) describing the campaign of Fang Yanhui.
💡 Example Usage
我军攻势风行电击，敌军一触即溃。
Our army's offensive moved like wind and struck like lightning, and the enemy collapsed at the first touch.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 风行电击
- Pinyin: fēng xíng diàn jī
- Literal Translation: wind move, lightning strike
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4